Puzzles and Rewards
by loonelydreamerrr
Summary: Spa, buffet, puzzle, liz lemon. slight hints of Jack/Liz. Disclaimer: not mine


"Hey, what's going on guys?" Liz asks after noticing the writer's room was unusually quiet. Lutz, Frank, Toofer and Jenna are sitting on alternate seats on the large table, either working or staring at the piece of paper.

"Is there a test or something?" She puts down the bag beside Lutz and saw that his stress-induced-pica disorder is acting up. The eraser at the end of the pencil and the metal portion that holds the eraser is conspicuously missing.

_Oh boy. _

"Tracy has just sent us a message via video, declaring today Sudoku Day. First prize a royalty treatment at Tracy and Spaceman Spa center." Cerie said while curling a pencil in her soft blonde hair. Even Cerie is doing the puzzle, though none of the blanks is filled yet.

Now Liz Lemon is intrigued. She switches on the television.

Grizz and Dot Com appear on the screen.

Grizz (reading from cue cards), "Dear writers and non-writers, in part of Tracy's self-improvement initiative to become more like Oprah and the need to be unpredictable at all times..."

Dot Com (taking the cue cards from Grizz), "he declares today Sudoku Day as part of a campaign to encourage people to be smarter. The winner will receive The Royalty treatment at Tracy and Spaceman Spa. For the whole year."

Tracy appears. "Yes. That is right. That includes getting massages by professional strippers of more than 2 years of stripping experience. This initiative is carried out by The Tracy Jordon Foundation to help strippers who want to quit becoming productive members of society."

"Well, that certainly explains a lot."

"Hey Liz, can you lower down the volume, people are trying to concentrate here." Frank with a distracting "Queue here" imprinted on his cap said.

"Frank. Shh…Shhhh..." Liz's pupils dilated, for the screen shows rows of food- buffet style. Shrimps, oysters, lobsters, cupcakes, every kind of cakes. "There's no end. The room… the food…there's no end."

At the background, Dr. Spaceman voice speaks, "…includes our revolutionary never-gain-weight package. We provide the food, you can eat all you want. When you are full, come to our cutting edge laboratory and we'll burn, zap, cut, suck, gorge…."

Liz lemon is sold. Her idea of heaven has become a reality.

"GIVE ME THAT PUZZLE NOW." She said loudly, simultaneously palm-smashing the table (for extra dramatic effect).

"Copies are over there." Frank, Lutz and Jenna uttered, pointing at Cerie's desk at the same time and barely took a glance off their papers. Toofer didn't even bother.

Cerie hands her one and wished her luck. She hasn't filled a single numeral on her copy. Heart shapes, though, are abundant.

Liz is a drug hound on a mission, a Jedi on a quest, a heroine on her final obstacle before taking her throne of the magical kingdom… (You get the idea.)

So for the next hour…

She sits down on the floor, back by wall and starts talking out loud, "Two is here, here and here. Which means… five or three must be here. Not here… not… here… nine… could be here… five or three here, five or three also here… one two four… Nerds. Six here, here or here…. Seven here and here. But eight… eight…"

"Liz, shut-"

"No, you, shut it nerds. I am getting this."

"Oh my god, your eyes look extra predatory right now." Jenna said.

"Yeah, you're scary." Frank added.

"And I'm almost done." Toofer announces confidently.

"Let's compare answers"  
"I'll help you check." Frank and Jenna said at the same time.

"ALMOST done. It means I'm not done yet."

"What do you mean you're not done? I'm your friend. Let me take a look." Frank stands up and attempts to snatch Toofer's paper.

"I have to go to the bathroom." Lutz, looking pale rushes out of the room.

Meanwhile, Liz, still mumbling to herself, "Okay… Vertical… one two three five… four. Horizont… one… here. One-two -three -four -five -six -seven -eight- nine!"

"I'm done." She says softly, but audible enough for everyone to hear.

"What? Let me see that." Toofer grabs the paper and double checks her answers. Lutz (back from the bathroom), Frank, Jenna and Cerie clamor around him.

"Wooo! Yes people, that's me. All me." She's doing her celebratory dance.

"I'm Awesome, with a capital A. I, Liz Lemon. Win. At life."

True as it seems, Liz Lemon with adrenaline still coursing through her veins and high from her recent victory can be quite irksome.

The room fell into an awkward pause.

"Hey, do you guys want to check out this new restaurant down the street? I've got coupons." Pete enters the room cheerily. Great timing.

"Yes, please."  
"I'm in"  
"You're the best."  
"What are we waiting for?"

Everyone excepts Liz headed towards the exit. Perplexed, Pete mouths to Liz, "What happened? Are you coming?"

"Er, no. I'll pass. I have free buffet and spa," Her eyes glow like an excited kid. "For a year."

"Oh." Pete says with a funny face and scurried along to join the rest.

* * *

Liz manages only to find time on the weekend. She is immediately impressed with the place. She unconsciously pats her tummy and waste no time in filling plates.

Feeling thirsty after her third plate of shrimp (and more), she motions to whom she thought was the waiter behind her. "Erm hmm, excuse me, could you please get me a glass or like a gallon-"

"Lemon, is that you?"

"Jack?" She turns around and saw him with a plateful of food. "Jack! What are you doing here?"

He sits opposite and said "I should ask you that question, Lemon. I didn't know you have finally acquainted yourself to the finer things in life."

"Oh no, not really. I won this membership for free on Sudoku Day. Tracy declares it. I actually didn't expect it to be real. Like, there will be a catch or something. But no, this is real Jack. I get to eat and be treated like an exotic princess for a year."

Jack expression is stoic and seems to contain a subtext of "What are you talking about?"

"My, you look refreshed."

"Really? I just had a massage." He pauses. "It was both stimulating and relaxing at the same time. You should try it some time. They heard they do have female version of the package."

She changes the topic. "Have you tried the seafood?" She eats a spoonful of crab meat and continues, "Mmmmaghhh. This is. So good. I'm in heaven."

She passes a portion of the food that's missing from his plate and vice versa. The sharing habit acquired after having lunch together over the years.

"Ha. Took you long enough. By the way, remember to drop by Spaceman's lab before you leave. You wouldn't want to accumulate all the calories till manifest themselves as layers of fats."

Pause.

Soon after that, they resume their usual conversation about food and colleagues. She shared her latest attempts at online speed dating, a new feature at a certain match making agency. And he told her about the weird ways through which Jonathan has been showing his affections for him lately.

A while later, Jack announced that he had to go.

"What? It's the weekend, and you've just arrived. You've been here since what? A couple of hours?"

"Since nine in the morning. No, Lemon, I did not just arrive. And you've been here for at least 4 hours."

"Wow. I've been eating for 4 hours? Boy, Is this gonna be like The Land of Lotus Eaters? "

Jack stares at her, waiting for her explanation but decided not to.

"See you at work, Lemon."

"Bye, Jack."

After he left, feeling full finally, she decides to head up to Spaceman's lab. And maybe after that, a massage.

_fin_

**A/N This is my first 30rock fic and i havent written anything in a long time. so yea. Tell me whether you like it. Or not. feedback would be nice. very nice. (oh, and im very suspicious about my grammar, coz its... bad. try to be forgiving... :S ) And "The Land of Lotus Eaters" is a Percy Jackson &Olympians-the lightning Thief reference. **


End file.
